Zucchini Noodles with Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

I have to admit that I was skeptical about this whole trend of faux noodles. Could these noodle-like strands of vegetables really satisfy my desire for spaghetti?

I decided to give it a try. Thus, in place of traditional spaghetti, I used zucchini. And, much to my surprise, it’s actually very good. It gives you the sensation of a noodle; I could even twirl it. In this recipe, I definitely think the sun-dried tomato pesto gives you that added traditional spaghetti dish taste and feel. I’ll never give up my spaghetti but I am totally sold on this as an alternative.

You don’t really need any specialty equipment (like a spiralizer) to make these “noodles.” I had a hand peeler with a julienne blade, but you could also use a box grater, mandoline or even a regular hand peeler. If you use a regular hand peeler, the noodles will just come out wider.

Zucchini Noodles with Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

Serves 2

Ingredients
2 large or 3 medium-sized zucchini

1 cup sun dried tomatoes (notpacked in oil)

½ cup fresh basil leaves

1 garlic clove

Juice of half a lemon

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper

Crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions

To make the noodles, slice the zucchini into noodles on a spiral slicer, mandolin, cheese grater or hand peeler. Set aside in a large bowl.

To make the sauce: In a food processor add the tomatoes and basil. Roughly chop the garlic clove and add to the food processor. Add the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Put the lid on and pulse until finely chopped.

Mix the sauce into your zucchini noodles and let it sit for 10-15 minutes. This lets the flavors come together and softens the noodles.